The Board of Education of Anne Arundel County will discuss and is scheduled to vote on adoption of the school system’s new Strategic Plan at its next meeting, scheduled for 10 a.m. on Wednesday, May 15, 2024.
The plan, developed with the assistance of Insight Education Group, will guide the school system’s work over the next five years. It has been worked on for months by a 70-member steering committee of community leaders and school system employees. The committee’s consideration of what will be contained in the plan was informed by feedback from focus groups and more than 20,000 survey responses.
Also at the meeting, the Board will vote on adoption of a virtual learning plan for prolonged state of emergency. State law dictates that local Boards of Education must approve such a plan by June 1, 2024. The plan provides a framework that outlines roles and responsibilities during a prolonged emergency closure that prevents in-person attendance for at least 14 days.
The meeting will be held in the Board Room at the Parham Building, located at 2644 Riva Road in Annapolis. It is open to the public and subject to normal space limitations in the Board Room.
A complete agenda for the meeting can be found here. More information on agenda items will be posted on the AACPS website in the Board Docs section under the Board of Education tab. Protocols, procedures, and expectations for those attending the meeting can be found here.
Following the public meeting, the Board will vote to immediately go into closed session, during which time it will discuss confidential matters as permitted by the Maryland Open Meetings Act including, but not limited to, legal advice, personnel, and negotiations. Closed session is not open to the public.
Following the closed session, the Board will conduct a retreat that will focus on administrative items, legal advice, and emergency planning. As provided by the Maryland Open Meetings Act, the retreat will not be open to the public.
PROCESS FOR PUBLIC COMMENT ON AGENDA ITEMS
The Board will hear public comment from up to 10 total speakers (virtual and in-person combined) per agenda item (excluding personnel items, reports, informational presentations, and recognitions) during a single public comment section in the early portion of the meeting. Additionally, up to 10 speakers can comment on non-agenda items, excluding student-specific or personnel matters, towards the end of the meeting.
To register for public comment, visit www.aacps.org/boardcomment from 3 p.m. on the Friday before the meeting until noon on the Monday before. Speakers can sign up for a maximum of two agenda items but only once for each item. If there are more than 10 registered speakers for an item, a lottery will be used to select the speakers.
Registered speakers will be notified via email. Each speaker has a 2-minute time limit and must address the specific agenda item for which they are registered.
Written comments on agenda items (250-word maximum) can also be submitted online or dropped off at the Parham Building in Annapolis. Those needing interpreter services or accessibility accommodations should call 410-222-5311.
The general session of the meeting will be broadcast live on AACPS-TV and on AACPS’ YouTube channel. Archived videos of past meetings are available online.
BOARD WORKSHOP ON STRATEGIC PLAN
The Board will get its first look at a draft of the Strategic Plan during a public workshop on Monday, May 13, 2024. The workshop begins at 6 p.m. and will be held in the Board Room. It is open to the public but no public comment will be taken.
The workshop will be broadcast live on AACPS-TV and on AACPS’ YouTube channel.
COMMITTEE MEETINGS
The Board of Education’s committees will hold upcoming virtual meetings according to the following schedule. The meetings will not be broadcast, but those wishing to listen to the meetings can access them by telephone through the codes listed below.
- Budget Committee: Noon, May 13. Call 301-960-3676, enter the Conference ID 242 270 085#.
- Equity Committee: Noon, May 21, 2024. Call 301-960-3676, enter the Conference ID 139 346 210#.
- Policy Committee: 3 p.m., May 28, 2024. Call 301-960-3676, enter the Conference ID 165 061 550#.